Amy, please post some pics of your plants and a list of your questions without all of the extraneous stuff you included above.

Vladimir, I am sorry if all that is too tl;dr for you but what you consider "extraneous" is actually pretty pertinent to the exact plants I'm growing, my climate and local conditions and what I have done with them so far. (not to mention the little matter of advice planning my next project) The information up front instead of peppered confusingly throughout a thread is usually more useful, and I feel those I hoped might have time to respond will find it such.
I am looking for helpful advice from someone who understands this and who understands my questions and take the time to address them. An exchange of ideas, (gasp), with anyone who has experience with exotic trees in containers as well, even, rather than a quick "fix".

What I am not looking for is passive aggressive snark and cutting corners when I'm pretty sure you didn't even get to what trees I'm actually growing. Thus I'm rather disinclined to bow to your orders without good reason as of now.

Since you're in Mass, you might have noticed the shortening days. If you had a modicum of patience you might have read that I have no lights in 90% of my home right now, so pictures must be outside in daylight. Not possible on weekdays with my commute just now. Why I'm posting without any is because I felt it rather time sensitive. If someone wants a specific picture after understanding my situation, I expect them to ask.

Lastly, my (somewhat compound) questions were clearly listed and labeled in the body of the text. That they require your reading specific information you are too busy to bother with is not my problem.

I am sorry I upset you. I a not being aggressive, passive or otherwise. It's just that it is difficult for me to tease out what you need fro all the verbiage you posted. Photos would have been helpful. I was just trying to be helpful and instead you attacked me. I do not want to continue with you. Good bye.

Amy, it is a long post indeed. Things do get a bit confusing as to what kind of help you need. Couple of things:

I usually start seeds in 511 mix and if the seed is small (say the size of a large mustard or smaller) I put a thin layer of finer material like pine bark or turface to hold moisture. I also use a humidity dome over a tray. I have been quite successful germinating this way. The plants come out healthier. I prefer the 511 mix for tropical plants that eventually require a pretty large pot since it is lighter than the gritty mix. I have a mango from seed that is more than 12 years old now in a 5 gallon pot in 511 mix. Still pretty healthy and vigorous. I have to keep chopping it down 2-3 times a year to keep it manageable.

Second, I have germinated Bael but they were growing very very slowly for me and I got tired of it and got rid of it. I grew up eating Bael fruits in India and so I wanted to just try it. Most fruit trees grown from seed take 6+ years to fruit if they ever do. I was not hoping for fruits. It was just a curiosity of sorts.

The other plant you mentioned Elaeocarpus Angustifolius. I have never grown them and I have heard it is hard to germinate. The hard seed it produces is called Rudrakhsha in India - used as prayer beads. Where did you get the seeds? Interesting choice of plants.

@Vladimir: Seriously? Your reply reads like a dandied up post to /b/.

"Please" in front of what is essentially 'shut up, and pics or gtfo' does not make the comment any more polite or helpful, no matter how you try to word it. There are plenty of posters here as verbose as I am. I am simply new to posting here. But I made the first jab?

Not everyone can speak in info-bytes. Some of us are relegated to paragraphs no matter how we try. This is how I communicate, I am not wired for brevity, as I said above - but you probably missed it because it was at the bottom. Maybe it's a sign of my age, I don't know. Regardless, yes, I do take exception to being told how to post, regardless of how nicely you tried to put it. I think many people might. And I tend to respond to (perceived) snark with snark. As many do.

Suggestion - perhaps consider asking a specific question pertinent to a poster's situation in order to draw them out and get something more helpful for yourself? Like, "I'm not sure I understand, that's quite a wall of text, are you asking about *n?"

Or, you know, maybe just don't reply to long-winded walls of text unless you have a real reply.

*shrug* like I said, not my problem. I am sorry I hurt your feelings, but I didn't make the first swipe no matter how you tried to pretty it up.

@Tropic

Yes, it is definitely long, and long details can get confusing - especially when I'm trying to explain a lot. I'm sorry about that. I've never been able to figure out brevity, it's not in me. I spent hours trying to narrow that post down, if you can believe it. Perhaps it's a failing of sorts. Thank you for your more considered reply and for attempting to help out. In retrospect I should have made 2 threads, one for each plant.

You asked why these plants. It may seem weird to you, I don't know, but devotion. I'm aware of the uses of both trees, yes. =) I grow other plants too.

Yes, Bilva grow slowly. But that's fine. I'm not growing for the fruit so much as to have their beauty around and to make the attempt. If some succeed at becoming big one day I may give some to local Temples and a few friends who will appreciate them.

I left out the other species. The one used most often in large malas is E. Ganitrus, I have some potentially viable seeds of those too. Potentially, not definitely. The Bilva fruit I bought in Mumbai and kept the seeds. The Rudraksha were given by a friend visiting the Kawaii monastery, where a large forest of both the species was started decades ago.

I'm told there are a few reasons they are "difficult" to grow. The first is most of the ones bought at stores are either picked before they're mature or they are cleaned by boiling. Sometimes both. Picked from the forest floor, they're mature. But if you plant it in the stone - the bead - it can take a year or more during which time the seed has plenty of time to rot if conditions aren't just right. The solution is to break the beads open carefully and harvest the seed to attempt germination. They still take a month and a half or more. The friend who sent them got them from the forest floor himself and cleaned them carefully then sent. He has germinated some, but had best success making a seedball. He says usually people just go dig up seedlings from the forest - it's easier and they seem to germinate readily there.

Questions:

* If they don't germinate it's no loss, but I want to try and I don't want to use a seedball if possible. But I'm not sure the 5:1:1 will carry enough moisture evenly around the seed. I wondered if it might be better to use a turface mix as described in the first thread I linked, for more moisture, at least initially, or if I should just go buy some benzonite clay and make the ball.

* I am concerned about the Bilva. I am not sure if I should go re-pot the others now or wait it out till spring. I'm less worried about the ones I re-potted, they are looking a LOT better.

* I would still like to know the chances of the ones I salvaged that seem dead in all but root. Am I wasting my time? I know this is hard to know, even if you had pictures.

* I'm curious if 5:1:1 can harbor soil pests like fungus gnats and thrips.

* I'm going to leave it at this for now so it doesn't become as nuts as my OP.

I'm also curious, Tropic, when you were trying to raise Bilva, were you using 5:1:1 or Gritty mix at that time?

I don't mean to triple post, but I can't seem to avoid... I'm also completely unsure of how to go about root pruning a taproot, especially when there seem so few other roots. Guidance would be awesome. Links, recommended books, even walls of text in reply would be very welcome.

I'm not sure if the root growth I'm seeing - mainly taproot - is due to the poor soil and watering or is actually the tree's growth pattern. If the latter, how to handle that without harming the tree - as the taproot will definitely have to come off one day.

Amy, I rather enjoyed reading about your trees. I actually like seeing other people's thought processes, and I don't mind having to absorb a lot of information if the writing is as clear as yours.

I'll confess that this newbie doesn't have any advice to offer, but I'm impressed by the amount of detective work and remediation you've done so far, and I hope you'll stick around to see what people say about your situation once some of our resident gurus get a chance to read at least some of your post(s). My wishes aren't entirely selfless, either, because the answers will probably be helpful to me, too.

Lenore

Hi Lenore,

Thank you so much for your kindness. =)

Now that the worst of the seedlings seem out of the woods, I'm less worried and frantic. But I may still repot a few more this weekend, as some of the new leaves appear too pale...

I'm glad if this thread might help others besides myself. ^_^

My experience with Bilva/Bael is that it has a tendency to produce one big taproot. Very few side roots. I had it in a 511 mix. I would not cut the taproot if it is the only major root. In retrospect, I should have tried Bael in a gritty mix to encourage more root branching. Once there are a few side branches of roots you can start cutting back the taproot.

You should avoid bare-rooting and repotting now. You can, however, pot it up in a bigger pot.

511 mix should not harbour any fungus gnats as long it is not kept soggy. You can use a bit of mosquito dunks sprinkled over the top if you are concerned. I have not had any thrips infestation either. 511 mix all around perfect for seed germination. No need for seed balls or any other method. I keep my pots with seeds in a nursery flat with a clear plastic humidity dome with an adjustable vent. Normally I would not need to water it again till the seeds germinate.

You can provide bottom heat to speed up germination. In this case you may need to check the soil moisture weekly to see if it needs any more water.

For germinating Elaeocarpus Angustifolius, I found this [article[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/help-growing-large-trees-from-seed-and-keeping-them-healthy-dsvw-vd~4189479). I am sure you already know more about it than I do. I am not yet convinced that the seed-ball method is any better though.

What other interesting plants you have or plan to grow? I feel a bit more inspired to try Bael again and may be E. augustifolius too. Now I have to find the seeds somehow.

Question 1 - I was really blown away by how deep and big the taproot
is growing on these trees. It's like most of the energy is going to
create this big root. It's thicker than the trunks in every case, and
the roots are easily twice to sometimes 3x as long as the seedling
itself. So on on of them, I cut back the taproot a little bit... I took
about a half an inch. I had read Al mentioning that slowly cutting back a
taproot over time can help spur the tree to grow more roots higher up. I
hope I didn't take it out of context. The first day the lowest leaf of
that seedling, which has started to go brown on the rim, became pale and
collapsed on one side of the leaf. Then yesterday it went dry. Today
there has been no further progress of the leaf's collapse and no further
signs of stress. The seedling seems strong... Was I wrong to try and
trim it back just a little bit? Or did I do alright? Is this seedling
out of the woods for now do you think? Young plants are nearly all dynamic mass, and as such, have a very strong "will to live". If your plant is currently doing well, there is no reason it will take a turn unless something cultural forces a change in course.

Bonsai practitioners have learned that lifting seedlings as soon as the first set of true leaves emerge and removing the seed radicle immediately below the root to shoot transition zone and treating the top as a cutting eliminated taproot issues entirely in most plants. In stubborn plants with a hard tendency toward vertical roots, you'll need to regularly remove all first order roots (attached to main stem) growing downward from the root to shoot transition zone as well as all second order roots growing up or down off the first order roots.

Question 2 - related to question 1, regarding the other seedling I
root pruned a little. This one I took a little more off of because of
root rot. I know I had to take it off, and I also took off a bit of
taproot for this one too. The seedling itself seems fine. The uppermost
leaf - which is fairly new and thin yet - went limp the first day, but
has become stronger and greener these last two days. I know I had to
take off the bad roots, but I was worried I went too far. I'm hoping I'm
seeing indications that I didn't? Only way to tell is by putting a waiting period behind you during which the plant retains its turgidity throughout the daylight hours. Stomata close at night and slow water loss, so unhealthy plants have opportunity to recover from low internal water pressure and wilting. No wilt during the day is a good indication to bet on full recovery.

Question 3 - When I was done, I investigated the 5 'dead' seedlings.
Two of them looked like some of Al's bare-root pictures. The main part
of the taproot was healthy, seemed alive, and had small alive roots
still growing from it. but the end of the root was truncated in mush,
much of which fell off into the soil. I washed them as clean as I could
in a mist spray and cut off the mushy end to clean root. Then I potted
those in 5:1:1 too. I'm hoping against hope that I might be able to save
them. The top id dead back to the twiggy stump... Any thoughts if they
might come back? Anything special I might do for them to give them the
best shot - for instance a special fertilizer or watering strategy? Withhold fertilizer until the plant recovers. DAMP or MOIST are the operative words. If the fungal infection has gummed up the plumbing such that a vascular connection between roots and shoots isn't in the offing, it's a goner. If the infection isn't systemic, the possibility of retaining viability is still on the table. What kills cuttings is the inability to make that plumbing connection due to rot, or the cutting having an inadequate energy reserve. If the plant/cutting/seedling runs out of reserve energy while it still a net user of energy instead of a net producer of energy, it's over.

4: I have 5 I have not yet repotted. They seem to be okay... though 3
aren't doing much of anything, they're just existing and may have some
first sign of browning on lowest leaves, but I might be looking too hard
too... One is finishing it's fall flush of leaves, and one is start
starting it's fall flush... I'm not sure if I should repot them so close
to winter or if I should let them be until spring, since they seem okay
right now. I especially am not sure I should mess with the one putting
out new leaves. But on the other hand, what if I really am seeing some
warning signs and some suddenly start taking a down turn in the next
week or month? Wouldn't it be better to do it early, now, rather than
later? The only reason I re-potted the ones I did was because I was sure
they wouldn't make it through winter... I am not sure on these ones. If
they were your plants, what would you do? A dearth of mobile nutrients, over-watering, root congestion, soil compaction, can all lead to loss of lower leaves. I'll ask you to spare me from having to do the research by telling me if these plants would normally enter a predictive dormancy during the fall to winter transition? If yes, then waiot until spring but guard against over-watering. If no, repot only if you suspect strongly that the plants will no longer be viable come late spring (June).

5: Fungus gnats. =( I manage to get rid of them for a while, but they
always come back. Of course, I was always using compost mixes,
particularly organic ones, and they're usually lousy with them no matter
how much a brand claims they pasteurize/sterilize for pests. Do
non-mineral soil media mixes have the same ability to attract and
support these and other soil-borne pests? If yes, which ones to watch
for? If you don't already have a good understanding of what constitutes the comparative degrees of container media (as in unusable, practically unusable, just plain poor, ok, better, and the variations of better from 'sort of better' to 'really a whole lot better'), making that a priority will almost certainly propel your advancement farther/faster than anything else you might apply yourself to in the near term. If you need the info that can tie soils up into a neat little conceptualization, I'll be really glad to help, but I think trying to do it in a thread that covers so many topics isn't the best format. Are you familiar with and understand the concept discussed here?

Which brings my follow-up: If it can support pests that spent part or
all of their life cycle in soil, then it should be able to support
their predators too, right? I prefer to combat pests with their
predators, like nematodes, predatory mites, aphid lions, etc. Would this
be doable if needed? How about we work toward providing a home for roots that doesn't provide creature comforts? In the immediate, mosquito dunks and a restrained hand on the watering can are potential remedies.

6: For the future of these little babies of mine, what would a good
strategy be for keeping them happy growing in a container? You'll find an outline here that will provide a plan for maintaining woody material in containers and in good health indefinitely. I know I need
to keep them smaller than if they were in the landscape, and that means
eventually removing the taproot. I also understand that taproot removal
usually starts after a year. But these trees don't actually seem to
have much besides taproot... smaller roots branch off of it, and a few
have some smaller roots that come from the trunk matrix but not most
from what I've seen. Would the best bet be to gradually prune the tap
root back over a few years in an attempt to get the trees to put out
more roots higher up? Or should I go for broke and just cut it way back
and defoliate? Or is it possible that the poor media I have been growing
in so far as not encouraged growth at the higher and mid root range and
drove the roots downwards looking for air? I'm sorry I haven't taken
any pictures to share to give you a better idea. If I end up re-potting
any of the others, I will take some. I think I covered these questions above, but if not, ask again.

Al

Al, I agree that in most cases cutting the tap root off early is quite effective. In case of Bael, I was just stumped. In the four seedlings I had, all of them spent the rest of the time producing yet another (one) root going straight down. When it reached the bottom, in two cases with deeper pots, it just stayed there. It did not even try to circle around and fill the pot. Could there be some other cultural reasons?

@ Al and Tropic,

My deep thanks to both of you for offering your experience and guidance! I'm sorry I haven't been able to reply very quickly, the last few days have been very full. This reply may also get cut short, but I wanted to take the time to at least respond in as timely a way as I can, since you both have been so kind to take your own time to try and help me.

'Only way to tell is by putting a waiting period behind you during which
the plant retains its turgidity throughout the daylight hours. Stomata
close at night and slow water loss, so unhealthy plants have opportunity
to recover from low internal water pressure and wilting. No wilt during
the day is a good indication to bet on full recovery.'

I was able to take a few pictures this morning.
This little guy is the one with the half collapsed leaf. It was also the runt of the seeds and is the one I have really tried the hardest to keep going because of that. He lost a few lower leaves to root rot before bare root re-pot to 5:1:1 mix on Sunday. He was starting to lose the leaf that had that half collapse, as you can see. It halted. He looks much better now, but should I prune off that injured leaf? He has so few left...

This is the one I spoke of having to prune off enough rotted root and some of the taproot that I was uncomfortable about it. The top leaf was strong all week until yesterday evening, when it flopped again. But, I checked the mix and only the bottom of it was a little damp, so it was time to water. I will see how the guy is doing when I get home this evening.

This third one I haven't mentioned yet except as part of the group. This one would probably have been next to die, as the leaching of color and browning die-back of leaves was very progressed. Interestingly, it had no real root rot that I could see - but perhaps the rotten bits broke/washed off, or it was just suffocating.

The tiny leaf lower down, see how white it is? It's a little bit greener than it was when the plant was re-potted. All of the leaves were that pale, or very nearly so, when it was re-potted. It is greening right up.

By way of contrast, here is perhaps the healthiest of the bunch, (so hasn't been re-potted and is still in the soil it got put in after its germination pot). It is just filling out it's fall flush of leaves, which started growing late August/ early Sept. They seem a bit pale, but should green up as they thicken:

'Withhold fertilizer until the plant recovers. DAMP or MOIST are
the operative words. If the fungal infection has gummed up the plumbing
such that a vascular connection between roots and shoots isn't in the
offing, it's a goner. If the infection isn't systemic, the possibility
of retaining viability is still on the table. What kills cuttings is the
inability to make that plumbing connection due to rot, or the cutting
having an inadequate energy reserve. If the plant/cutting/seedling runs
out of reserve energy while it still a net user of energy instead of a
net producer of energy, it's over.'

Thank you. I will do as you say and cross my fingers and hope then. I don't know if it became systemic, if the stem/root matrix was damaged or not. What was left of the root itself seemed healthy, but the way each plant would loose leaves by going pale or mottled, then the tip would brown and crisp and the brown would spread, and the stem would shrivel after leaves were dry, it seems as if the roots were suffocated and unable to uptake nutrients - for several reasons, all my fault.

This is of course speculation. But if anywhere near the truth then maybe there is hope.

'I'll ask you to spare me from having to do the research by telling me if
these plants would normally enter a predictive dormancy during the fall
to winter transition? If yes, then waiot until spring but guard against
over-watering. If no, repot only if you suspect strongly that the
plants will no longer be viable come late spring (June).'

Absolutely!

Please understand I can only speak from my observations of their behavor in the last 1.3 years I've had them. In my experience from last year they didn't go into dormancy until at least mid to late November. They appear to have 2 dormant times, at least on the surface - and this may be by growth habit of the plant or it may be because they're young, or my climate and western exposure, I'm not certain.

1st dormancy is winter and last year, (and seeming to follow the same pattern so far this year), it began mid to late November. I am basing this observation on when they slowed down on taking up water in their first soil mix, and slowed leaf development to a standstill. Last year they woke as days lengthened by mid March, and by mid to late April all had started new leaf growth.

There seemed to be a 2nd dormancy in the full heat of summer, starting in early to mid July. In this case I can really only speak by what happened summer '15 and also this summer for the ones that were remaining healthy. Same as in winter, they seem to stop growing, at least above ground, and the ones in the better (but still not great) soil took less watering.

The ones that stayed healthy broke that "dormancy" (quotes because I'm still uncertain that is what this is) as heat broke here in early Sept. You saw the picture of the leaves of the first one to break that "dormancy". Here is the last one, taken this morning:

Those little red leaves just started about 2 weeks ago.

I am seriously unthrilled by that soil - this is the last of the trees I mistakenly put in that ugly concoction in July, and I badly want to remove it and put it in 5:1:1... What a mistake I made...

I have to cut off here, I'm sorry. As soon as I can when I get home I will reply to the rest.

My thanks again!

Also, Tropic, to answer your earlier question, I have a Krishna Tulsi just now. I did have a Brahma Kamal and a Ram Tulsi, but I gave the cactus to my Satsang center back in spring due to the situation my home was in. I couldn't care for it well enough. And the Ram Tulsi I gave to my neighbor. I will take a cutting next spring and grow another.

Meanwhile, here is Krishna Tulsi in full bloom. She is 3 years old.

Thank you for your patience. =)

"If you need the info that can tie soils up into a neat little
conceptualization, I'll be really glad to help, but I think trying to do
it in a thread that covers so many topics isn't the best format. Are you familiar with and understand the concept discussed here?"

Yes, I am familiar with this series of threads. I understand the science behind what you've explained. It completely changed my paradigm and everything I thought I knew about growing plants. In the yard as well.

I have been slowly working my way through the series of threads since I found them. There is an amazing amount of information! A book could be written with these, it would be fantastic. I am a slow reader however, and I was finding it hard to comb through to find specific answers to immediate needs - though I have found many of my perceived immediate needs to be resolving simply by having repotted to 5:1:1 - or at least the closest thing I could whip up in short notice. You may notice it's not exactly right... But it is working well enough for now and I will definitely do better now I have time to get the exact materials, know exactly where to find them and also get the tools. Spring repots will be gritty mix, and I intend to do all my plants.

"How about we work toward providing a home for roots that doesn't provide
creature comforts? In the immediate, mosquito dunks and a restrained
hand on the watering can are potential remedies."

You know, 13 years if using bio-controls and I have never heard of Mosquito Dunks? This bacteria works on gnats as well as mosquitoes I take it. Nice! Do I go by the directions on the package or use less?

I also believe I understand your point, and it's what I was trying to confirm - applied as intended by the principal of the mixes, they do not harbor the conditions that would be preferable for such pests. That is awesome to know for sure.

"You'll find an outline here that will provide a plan for maintaining woody material in containers and in good health indefinitely."

I haven't seen this thread yet, have been focusing on the mix threads. Thank you so much, this seems to be exactly what I'm looking for.

New question...

In the thread just above - "Trees in Containers" - you say:

"Citrus are probably best repotted in spring, but they can also be repotted successfully immediately after a push of top growth."

Does this mean it might be okay to re-pot that last tree out of the mud it's in? These are technically citrus, even though they seem a bit different at the moment.

Tropic is correct about the taproot, all of mine are behaving much the same so far - though I can't speak to what happens when you cut the taproot just yet. On the pot for the biggest one pictured above, the root has poked out the bottom drain hole and stopped. This is a pattern on all of them and has been since their germination pots.

I read on a thread about root pruning evergreens - I had been meaning to look for tropicals but ended up in a temperate evergreen thread. You said something about a type of tree with a notoriously difficult taproot, which appears to be part of its strategy to reach water before a dry climate period. I can't find the quote just now, but if I find it I will link.

It reminded me of what these trees are appearing to do. They thrive all over India and the Himalayas, but they seem to do best in hot and dry climates. They are known for being very drought tolerant and actually require a period of drought conditions to flower and fruit. I am interested to see the roots of the big one next year...

I wish I were able to fin out more about growing them, but everyone I know who has some experience living in the areas they grow only say that they grow everywhere easily, but are slow. Nothing much more specific and nothing about attempting a container.

Tropic, may I ask, how long did you try with them before you stopped?

Thank you again!

Hi Al,
"As concerned as you are (that's not a jab), I think I'd remove it to the
trash in case there is something fungal gaining a toe hold."

Would never take that as a jab, it's too true. =)

Thank you. I took that one off and a couple of others from the other plants I re-potted.

"Typically, turgidity improves just before and during the dark cycle
because stomata close and limits water loss. The only reason I can think
of that a plant would wilt toward evening is if it was watered late in
the day and excess water is limiting O2 availability and in doing so
inhibiting normal ability to take up water."

It's possible it
could have happened any time in the day. I have been using a wooden
skewer to test moistness of the soil before watering, as recommended in
some threads. It has been on and off rainy/misty here all week so the
soil was moist every morning I checked it. When I checked it that
evening I got home, the stick indicated was still slightly damp near the
bottom but not really moist, and the leaf had flopped. Once I watered
and came back later, it was strong again. This is why I suspect it was
simply time to water. I am getting a hang of this new soil and I want
to make sure I don't over-water newly bare root re-potted plants too.

Once they're indoors and out of weather, I know I will definitely have to water at least once a day for the trees in this mix.

"In looking at your plants, it's clear there are nutritional
deficiencies. What have you been fertilizing with and how often?"

Yes,
This is sadly too true. The problem is I think it was due mainly to
ove-rwatering and collapsed soil, but I may be wrong. You would be the
best judge. Let me give you the full soil/feeding history:

• Germinated in peat starter, in tiny terracotta pots within am incubation dome with a seedling heat pad underneath.

• Once
  the first true leaves were developed, May '15, they were transplanted
  to plastic pots with a potting mix composed of 2 parts vermiculite, 1
  part composted organic potting soil from our local nursery, 0.5 parts
  sphagnum peat, with worm castings and Espoma Citrus Tone added as per
  instructions on the bag - 1 tsp p/ 4" of pot diameter, every 60 days.
  This soil did not need frequent watering, so I didn't use more.

• When
  I water from the top, which is each time except a few times in winter, I
  start slow with small amounts to wet the top layer through to the
  bottom of the container, then I water through until about 1/3rd of what
  I've put in has drained.

• Having read that Citrus tend to enjoy more Nitrogen and some recommend a different
  food with higher nitrogen that I wasn't able to find, Starting the
  second month I added some Neptune's Harvest fish emulsion in solution,
  as directed by the bottle, once each month, except in winter and also
  except on months I would feed with Citrus-Tone.

• I did not know
  about "Wet Feet" in Citrus. In winter, to help combat fungus gnats, I
  would often bottom-water when it seemed the trees needed water. Not
  always, but about half the time.

• I started spring with fresh
  food, hardened them to the outdoors, and while some woke and pushed new
  leaves, the bigger ones that had been healthier last season were
  suddenly getting pale starting at the end of the leaf and spreading
  inwards, but veins would remain green.

• Knowing it was a deficiency but not what, I gave fish emulsion a little early while I tried to research.

• They seemed to do better with the fish emulsion, seemed to green and started to push some leaves. Progressed as per usual.

In June of this summer two things happened:

• Our
  house, which had suffered a burst pipe that winter, had blown-in
  insulation put in the walls that needed to be replaced. This was boron
  saturated recycled paper. I did the best I could to try and keep all my
  plants protected and out of the way of the crew, but these guys would
  probably be great at general demolition too. We are still finding
  insulation in puzzling places and they managed to damage things no one
  expected. A few of our plants ended up with insulation in the pots, and
  a couple were even knocked over, and that was just the Bilva. We had
  to be out of the house when it happened so we were gone all day and the
  insulation in the pots had dried by the time we got home. I wasn't sure
  if there was enough boron in the stuff to do any damage...
• At
  about the same time the paling came back and fish emulsion didn't seem
  to help. A few older, lower leaves browned and fell off. A few more
  trees were affected too.

• I didn't find anything decisive on the specific deficiencies, so I decided to just repot the ones that were having trouble.

• Mix was 1 Miracle Grow Citrus Potting Mix to 1/3 Composted Manure to 1/2 perlite.
  I was out of other items, did not have the ability to get out for more,
  and was badly distracted with upheaval at work and home and did not
  think before I acted.

• They're doing better, but not growing much - but it's dog days and none were. August they got some fish emulsion.

• End
  of August and start of Sept, they get much worse. It speeds up, only
  now leaves are going brown at the ends, brown spreads up and wilts and
  sometimes the leaf falls sometimes not. If not I take it off. Starts
  from the bottom up and also gets to any new leaves before old ones.

At
this point I knew I had done something really wrong and had to really
figure this out. Research often brings me to GardenWeb. After much
reading I began to understand it was the soil and possibly also my
feeding.

I still wonder about the boron too, but it seems less likely as other plants are fine.

I
began learning about your 5:1:1 mix, Al, from the water drainage
threads. I wanted to take time to find everything I needed exactly as
stated, but as more plants died and a few more got worse, and the season
got later, I finally decided to do the best I could with what I was able to find. The ones showing symptoms - 8 - were re-potted a week ago tomorrow (Sunday).

Your
mix is very coarse, so I know it doesn't hold nutrients well to begin
with, and they're quickly flushed from the soil."

You mean the
ones I repotted, right? Not the one showing new leaves? Because that
one is in the second mix which I feel was the terrible mistake...

The
repotted ones in the new mix had the amount of Citrus-Tone added to
the soil which you recommend for your 5:1:1 mix in ratio to the amount I
made - 15 gallons. I also added Garden Lime as per that proportion. I
have not added anything else or watered with any fertilizer yet.
Instructions were to let them be and keep in shade for 2 weeks after
re-pot, so that is where those seedlings are right now. I was going to
start feeding them as described in >this thread series of yours<.

Do you feel I should start sooner or give them something specific?

Another
question, if you would, do you feel the two plants that I felt were
healthy may have deficiencies too? I wouldn't be entirely surprised...
I'm new to container gardening, especially exotic species. I know I
still have a LOT to learn.

"So, prolly best to repot in spring; or, if you do repot now, make sure ant fruit or blooms are removed prior to the repot."

These
are far to young to flower or fruit. However, point taken. I will
wait until Spring unless I see a sudden turn for the worse. So far this
is the only one that seems stable in the soil it was put in, and is
even putting out new leaves. I will let it be.

"I don't have gnat issues, so don't use the dunks."

Wow.
I am actually a little jealous. =) That is a dream for me. Hopefully
as I continue on this path I also will stop seeing them. That would be
awesome!

Thank you so much for all your help! I'm very grateful to be able to learn even a little from you.

-Amy